The France Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010

For the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Lafarge is partnering the Pavillon de la France which has been designed and constructed by architect Jacques Ferrier.

A symbol of France and its art of living, the Pavillon de la France has benefitted from the most up-to-date innovations in architectural design, building materials and respect for the environment. Based on the concept of the "sensual city", it evokes all 6 senses: taste, sight, hearing, touch, smell and balance/movement.

The Lafarge space, representing touch, was produced using Ductal®, the Group's ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete, and PLAtec® plasterboard.

 

Jacques Ferrier's "Sensual City" project, which was selected by COFRES, the company in charge of construction and events at the pavilion, embodies Lafarge's vision of innovative and sustainable architecture. This building will allow the pavilion's 60,000 daily visitors to experience the art de vivre à la française.

The building addresses the theme "Better City, Better Life" by offering a new type of urban construction. It presents numerous architectural innovations, including a lattice and a "French-style" hanging garden. This vision of urban development ties in with that of Lafarge, which aims to be a key player in sustainable construction, able to offer construction methods with a reduced environmental footprint. In a dedicated area inside the pavilion, the Group will present innovative, environmentally-friendly solutions, adapted to the problems faced by Chinese cities.

Lafarge is also present in other buildings of the Expo, as supplier of the 510,000m² of plasterboard used in 17 other corporate and national pavilions, including China's for example.

Lafarge - a long-standing partner to China

Lafarge has been present in China since 1994 and has more than 30 sites for its three businesses - Cement, Gypsum, and Aggregates and Concrete. The Group now has nearly 13,000 employees in the country, which accounts for half of global demand for cement.

Lafarge's plants in China are located in the Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing regions. The Group has pursued a development strategy since its arrival in the country and has modernized its plants. This led to a 27.8% reduction in Lafarge's specific net emissions of CO2 in China between 1990 and 2006.

The materials supplied by Lafarge, a recognized player in the Chinese market, have contributed to the construction of numerous structures, including the Grand Theatre in Chongqing, the National Museum of Sciences and Technologies in Beiing and the Theatre of Shanghai.

With 24.3 million tons of cement capacity at the end of 2009, China is now one of the countries where the Group is the most present.